Psychotherapy – Everything You Need to Know

What differentiates psychotherapy from psychology, what are its benefits, and how can it assist us? Over the years, many myths and misunderstandings have formed around psychotherapy. It’s important to delve into this topic to ultimately clarify the advantages that can be gained from its use. After this article, you will understand that there is no need to fear psychotherapy, as it is an extremely helpful method in everyday life.

What is psychotherapy? Definition and comparison with psychology

Psychotherapy is an extremely broad concept, encompassing a range of processes aimed at coping with psychological disorders. Psychotherapy includes healing methods focused on combating mental health issues. These healing processes are most often carried out through verbal and psychological techniques. During the treatment, a specialized psychotherapist helps the patient cope with many crisis situations.

Depending on the approach used by the therapist, a wide range of techniques and therapeutic strategies can be applied. Almost all types of psychotherapy involve developing a therapeutic relationship, communication, dialogue, and working on overcoming problematic thoughts or habits.

The goal of psychotherapy is to improve the individual’s well-being and mental health, resolve or mitigate troublesome behaviors, beliefs, compulsions, thoughts, or emotions, and improve relationships and social skills.

It is important to emphasize that we can talk about psychotherapy in the context of two separate branches of therapeutic activity:

Conventional psychotherapy: clinical diagnosis of disorders based on generally accepted medical knowledge. It is most often used to treat psychological and psychiatric problems.
Unconventional psychotherapy: a set of techniques criticized by representatives of conventional medicine as “pseudoscience.” It usually involves reaching for alternative healing methods, also through soul healing. This includes reaching out to esotericism, as well as support from natural medicine.

It should also be highlighted that psychotherapy and psychology are not the same. Psychology is a science that studies the thoughts and actions of people. This knowledge is connected with exploring the motivations behind individual behaviors. Psychologists do not always have to have medical education.

Psychotherapists, on the other hand, often come from the environments of psychologists and psychiatrists. Their skills and knowledge are meant to find a way out of problematic situations within the psyche.

Since the subject of psychotherapy is associated with many damaging myths, this article will also focus on alternative healing techniques. Is there really anything to fear, or are the benefits of such therapy helpful?

Psychotherapy and its various types

Generally speaking, the boundary between unconventional and conventional psychotherapy can be quite thin. The number of therapy types has also been continuously increasing, from about 450 at the end of the last century to currently being counted in thousands. Among the most popular healing directions, one can mention:

Individual therapy, during which one-on-one cooperation occurs between the patient and the therapist.
Couples therapy, which involves meetings of couples with a therapist. It most often pertains to solving marital problems.
Family therapy, where several related individuals may meet to solve problems.
Group therapy, within which sessions are held in groups of people with a common goal. In addition to the support of the therapist, participants can also help each other.

Within psychotherapy – both conventional and unconventional – several techniques of working between the therapist and patient can be distinguished. Perhaps your first association with therapy is lying on a couch and talking to a psychologist, who diligently records notes. However, it turns out that this approach is just one of the methods of working on psychological disorders.

Today, many types of much more friendly psychotherapeutic techniques are used. The selection of the appropriate approach depends on many factors: the experience and specialization of the therapist, the preferences of the client, and the nature of the problems. Let’s take a look at a few of the most popular forms of therapy that can currently be encountered.

Behavioral therapy

Behaviorism is a philosophy of science that studies the behavior of humans and animals and the influence of the environment on behavior. This school of thought became popular in the 20th century, and its developed techniques quickly penetrated psychotherapy, including unconventional ones. Behavioral therapy often utilizes classical conditioning, operant conditioning, and social learning to help clients change problematic behaviors.

Cognitive-behavioral therapy

The approach known as cognitive-behavioral therapy focuses on psychotherapeutic treatment. Its goal is to discover the thoughts and feelings in a patient that influence specific behavior. It is used in many different directions of treatment, primarily in relation to anxieties, phobias, addictions, and depression. The therapy includes cognitive and behavioral techniques, whose correlation aims to change negative thoughts and better adapt to specific situations. It often also helps to uncover hidden thoughts that cause anxiety in a person.

Cognitive therapy

Cognitive therapy emerged in the 1960s when psychotherapists began to focus on the impact of thought processes on human functioning. The goal of this method is to identify cognitive distortions that lead to negative thoughts, and then replace them with a positive approach. This can improve one’s overall mood and well-being.

Humanistic therapy

Since the 1950s, humanistic psychology has been of considerable interest, influencing psychotherapy techniques. Humanist psychologist Carl Rogers developed a method focusing on an unconditionally positive approach to the patient. This way, the therapeutic potential can be maximized while emphasizing the importance of self-awareness, free will, and self-realization.

Psychoanalytic therapy

Various formats of therapy have been practiced since ancient times, but Sigmund Freud is considered the true precursor of a new approach in treating psychological disorders. The techniques he applied included analysis of transference, dream interpretation, and free association. Psychoanalysis allows delving into a person’s thoughts and past experiences to uncover their unconscious thoughts, feelings, and memories.

Can unconventional psychotherapy be more effective?

As previously mentioned, the well-known portrayal of lying on a couch in a therapist’s office is slowly becoming outdated. Today, classic psychotherapy can be supported in various ways, including those far from conventional medicine. Therapists are increasingly suggesting relaxation techniques of the mind to their clients, and even reaching for total biology.

Many alternative methods of dealing with psychological problems also rely on reaching for unconventional medicine specifics. A common example may be resorting to shamanic rituals and plants considered sacred by some cultures. They can help open the mind to higher dimensions but also better ground the entire body and mind. Combining several directions in psychotherapy seems to be the most effective way to help lost individuals find a way out of problematic situations.

Since unconventional psychotherapy does not always receive recognition, it is worth consulting the introduction of alternative medicine into your therapy with a leading doctor. However, it should be kept in mind that combining several therapeutic methods can prove to be extremely effective.

How can psychotherapy help?

Although psychotherapy has many forms and can use countless methods, all have one common goal: to help people overcome various types of challenges. To achieve this, specific problem-coping strategies are developed. They are designed to support leading a happy and healthy life.

Anyone experiencing psychological disorders should seek the help of a professional therapist. A trained and experienced person will be able to develop an appropriate approach to the specific problem. It is important to create the treatment course individually and based on thorough diagnoses and analyses.

Psychotherapy helps in battling many types of problems. Talking to a therapist is the first and very important step towards freeing oneself from traumas, anxieties, and other issues. The benefits of psychotherapy can be applied to the following conditions:

Addictions and dependencies
Anxiety disorders
Bipolar affective disorder
Depression
Eating disorders
Obsessive-compulsive disorder
Phobias
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)

Moreover, in many cases, therapy can prove useful in the following situations:

Chronic pain or serious illnesses
Divorce and relationship endings
Sadness resulting from the loss of loved ones
Insomnia
Low self-esteem
Relationship problems
Chronic stress

The benefits of psychotherapy are very broad, and maximizing results can be achieved when cooperation between both parties runs smoothly. This is another element worth pondering for a moment.

How to make the best use of psychotherapy?

The effectiveness of therapy can vary not only from the techniques used and the therapist’s specialization. Effectiveness depends on many other factors, such as the nature and severity of the problem. There are also several elements on the client’s side if they want to fully utilize their therapeutic sessions.

Always be honest during sessions. Do not hide your problems or feelings from the therapist. Always open up for cooperation, as your goal should be to discover the real “you”. This can only be achieved through complete honesty and openness.
Do not be afraid to feel emotions. Psychotherapy can touch on feelings that you deeply hide. Emotions – both positive and negative – should not be hidden. It’s worth talking about anger, resentment, jealousy, or sadness, to find a solution for them.
Open up to the therapy process. During cooperation with the therapist, it is good to create a bond and connection on which mutual relations will be based. Many psychotherapy experts claim that it becomes more effective as we open up more to its assumptions.
Emphasize regularity. If psychotherapy is to succeed, it must be approached seriously. Regular attendance at sessions with the therapist is one of the most important steps. The success of the entire undertaking may depend on this.
Personal input. Sometimes the therapist may give you certain tasks to perform on your own. It’s worth fulfilling the assigned tasks and approaching challenges conscientiously. After all, it’s all for your own good.

Psychotherapy – is there anything to fear?

If you feel you need help because you cannot cope with your problems – psychotherapy is the perfect solution for you. Really, there is nothing to fear! The best therapists do not judge or criticize; they only help find the perfect way out of the situation.

How do you know if therapy is your ally? Here are a few points that will help you assess the current state of affairs:

The problem causes suffering or disruptions in your life. If you realize that what you are struggling with is getting out of control, then do not hesitate. Psychotherapy can “straighten out” many matters.
You resort to unhealthy coping mechanisms. Smoking, drinking alcohol, aggression, or shutting yourself away from others are not good self-help techniques. The best strategy turns out to be reaching out for support from another person, especially someone who is a specialist in therapy.
Friends and family are worried about you. When you reach a point where your closest ones notice your problems, it’s a sign that you should consult a therapist. An appropriately chosen treatment method can prove to be extremely helpful, which will certainly be noticed by people in your environment as well.
Nothing else helps. Sometimes, self-help techniques are not enough to effectively deal with your own problems. Ignoring the problem will not solve the troublesome situation. An external perspective turns out to be the best solution.

Remember, no psychotherapy guarantees effective results after the first session. In many cases, it takes a lot of time for your life to return to normal. However, you should not give up, as with the proper support of a therapist, you will eventually succeed.